Here we have variety hystricina. Opuntia polyacantha var. hysticina is found in southern Utah, south eastern Nevada, and the northern portions of Arizona and New Mexico. It is a cactus of the southern Colorado river drainage. In General the pads are elongated ovals densly covered with stout long spines. The spines on the upper third of the pads ascending with the lower spines descending. The spines can be varied in color usually white, bronze, or even black. Flower colors can be yellow through pink. I have only seen pink flowered clones.

These are from the variety erinacea. Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea is found across the Southern Great Basin, Mohave and upper Sonoran Deserts of NV, CA, UT, and AZ. In general the spines of this variety are long, thin, flexable, dense and white/gray. On older pads they can be up to six inches long, wavy, and flowing almost obscuring the pads. On younger pads they tend to point strait outward from the plain of the pads. Flowers as in all polyacantha are pink or yellow.

Not a polyacantha, of course, but I noticed some comments on opuntias from seed.They seed around here with abandon, more or less. (Funny, the most prolific seeder I've found is Pediocactus knowltonii.) This summer I was weeding around the group of Cyl. imbricata, both the purple form and the white, and found several of these.(It was growing upright but fell over some time and started growing upright again, as you can see.)

Bob

Bob

extreme western edge of Denver, Colorado; elevation 1705.6 meters, average annual precipitation 30cm; refuses to look at thermometer if it threatens to go below -17C

Bob Always cool to find babies in the garden. I have a friend who grew Opuntias for years and let the fruits fall were they may. Well he hasn't raised Opuntias for six years now but a few sprout every year, even in the cracks of the sidewalk in front of his house.